


Apparently Zebras Can Change Their Stripes

by misswhitecrayon



Category: Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Did anyone ask for a fic where Simon and Jace have a budding bromance?, Fluff, Gen, Hella sass, Mild Language, Mild violence if a plastic knife counts as violent, Oh well you got one anyway, no?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 13:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6705472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misswhitecrayon/pseuds/misswhitecrayon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A friendship even more unlikely than Alec & Clary happens</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apparently Zebras Can Change Their Stripes

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Clary and everyone else?” Simon glanced back towards where the rest of their usual group was running to catch up after handling a demon.  
“Why are you here again?” Jace turned around slowly, gracefully, and raised one annoyingly perfect eyebrow at him. Damn, what did Clary see in him? Simon’s eyes widened in pretend offense and Jace took a step forward to give him a friendly nudge. Just like how Alec and Clary had become something like friends, this pair had also abandoned their scathing comments meant to cause hurt in favor of harmless teasing and insults. Simon supposed they could be called friends at this point; he’d had another falling out with Raphael recently and had been staying at the Institute, spending long hours with this infuriating blondie. “I’m kidding, nerd.” Ever since Clary had made an offhand remark once about nerd being an insult to some in the mundane world, it was his nickname of choice for Simon.  
“I’m here,” Simon began as Isabelle, Clary, and Alec skidded to a stop beside them. “Because Clary is my best friend-” The redhead threw an arm around her friend and laughed in agreement. “-and because I enjoy seeing all of your damn attractive, living faces,” he finished, glancing around the group and letting his gaze linger teasingly on Jace. “Well, you… you’re definitely living, but attractive is another st-” He broke off as the angel child gave him a playful shove that knocked him back a few steps.  
Alec looked mildly uncomfortable when Simon made eye contact with him after his previous comment and Izzy rolled her eyes. “Alec, he was kidding--no one is going to steal you away from your sexy, sexy warlock-”  
“-But it sounds like Izzy might steal him from you!” Clary finished, which didn’t put Alec any more at ease.  
The group decided to leave serious, abrasive Alec alone before he lashed out. “So, what are we doing still out?” Simon asked. “It’s almost dawn and I-”  
“Have to get inside, we know,” Izzy cut him off. “We’re trying to track down a missing werewolf, on Luke’s request.”  
“Is it one of the ones that threatened to kill me?” Simon inquired.  
“Is it one of the ones that threatened to kill him?” Jace asked at the very same time, jerking his thumb towards Simon.  
The group looked at Simon and Jace in surprise; it was obvious they hadn’t been as argumentative lately, but this thing that was suspiciously like thinking the same way had been unexpected. Zebras don’t typically change their stripes, after all, but there’s a first time for everything right?  
“Ha! Jinx, you owe me a soda!” Simon shouted at Jace, grinning at his own somewhat childish display of middle school humor.  
Jace was speechless for a minute, confused by this outburst. “Wh-What?” He stuttered. “Why do I owe you a soda? Is this a mundane thing??” His eyes flicked to Clary for an explanation.  
“Yeah,” Clary withdrew her arm from Simon’s shoulders to use both hands to stifle a giggle. “It’s just something kids say when two people say something at the same time--or they make whoever doesn’t say jinx stay silent the rest of the day.”  
Simon smiled nostalgically. “Do you remember that one day in seventh grade when that annoying kid, um-”  
“You mean more annoying than you?” Jace broke in. “How is that even possible?”  
“Shut up, wise guy,” Simon glared at him. “I’m trying to take a walk down memory lane! Anyway, he had one of those annoying kid names, like- like James, or A-Andrew-”  
“Or Simon?” Jace suggested.  
“Yeah, yeah I remember that!” Clary turned to Simon, her eyes lighting up the way they hadn’t in a while, in a way not even Jace had seen yet. It made her look so much younger, so much less tense and burdened with the weight of the world like all shadowhunters seemed to be. “His name was definitely James, and I’m pretty sure he skipped all of his classes after lunch to make sure I didn’t say anything!” She pushed Simon a little while regaling the group. “And this kid did too, threatening to knock James on his ass. Of course,” Clary corrected herself, “he said butt and not ass because we were like eleven, but the sentiment was there.”  
Jace turned to Simon and nodded approvingly. “I will never understand mundane sayings- or anything about them, really- but I understand petty vengeance.” He wrapped his muscled arm around Simon and gestured in the direction they had begun heading. They started walking again, and after a minute, Jace spoke again. “So- this James kid. Did you knock him on his ass? What did you do it with- a punch? A kick?”  
The rest of the group, hanging back a bit, exchanged an astonished look about this unlikely friendship.  
“Well, actually I threatened him with a plastic knife…”  
“What good is a plastic knife? I can’t imagine they’re very effective.”  
“We were eleven; the teachers weren’t about to give us anything that could be a real weapon…”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all I'd appreciate some comments n feedback n stuff!! (this is unbeta-d as always so point out any mistakes you see)  
> You can find me on Tumblr to scream abt this show n these books-- my URL is miss-white-crayon


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